https://nypost.com/2024/01/10/news/anti-israel-protesters-vandalize-los-angeles-national-cemetery/
Anti-Israel protesters vandalized and defaced the Los Angeles National Cemetery, where nearly 90,000 veterans who served the country from World War I through Vietnam are buried.
Video posted online showed a demonstrator spray-painting “Free Gaza” with an upside-down red triangle on the entrance to the National Cemetery as a protest shut down a major boulevard outside the US Federal Building on Saturday.
Demonstrators wearing traditional Palestinian keffiyehs were seen waving Palestinian flags and holding signs accusing President Biden of being an enabler of genocide and Zionists of being Nazis.
They chanted, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” a slogan that the Anti-Defamation League has labeled antisemitic, saying it calls for the elimination of the state of Israel.
Protesters also shouted “Long live Palestine,” “Long live intifada” and “Biden, Biden you’re a liar, we demand a cease-fire.”
The word “intifada” was also spray-painted on the Los Angeles National Cemetery sign, as photos taken in the aftermath showed.
The original intifada was a Palestinian uprising against the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip beginning in 1987.
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Pro-Palestinian protesters defaced the entrance to the Los Angeles National Cemetery on Saturday, spray-painting the words “Free Gaza” and “Intifada.” X / @SiaKordestani
It is unclear whether any arrests were made for the vandalism at the national cemetery. The Post has reached out to the Los Angeles Police Department for more information.
But many have come forward to condemn the protesters’ actions.
“VA national cemeteries are where our nation’s heroes are laid to rest, and any act of vandalism is unacceptable,” Terrence Hayes, a spokesman for the Department of Veterans Affairs, told Fox News.
“We are taking immediate steps to restore the wall at the Los Angeles National Cemetery to its original state.”
The cemetery also released a statement on its Facebook page, writing: “The Los Angeles National Cemetery is where our nation’s heroes are laid to rest, and any act of vandalism is unacceptable.
“We are taking immediate steps to restore the Los Angeles National Cemetery sign to its original state, and we are working with law enforcement on their investigation.”
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The vandalism occurred as protesters shut down a major boulevard outside the US Federal Building. X / @samyebri
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Nearly 90,000 veterans who served the United States from World War I through Vietnam are interred at the Los Angeles National Cemetery. AFP via Getty Images
It later thanked the Los Angeles County Graffiti Unit for power-washing away the graffiti in a separate post.
Several elected officials also spoke out against the vandalism, with US Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Calif.), who represents the area, branding the protesters anti-American.
“More proof that the people who hate #Israel also hate America,” he posted on X.
“Here, at the Los Angeles National Cemetery in my district, they deface a cemetery for those who gave their lives to end slavery and protect the world from fascism.”
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Eventually, the Los Angeles County Graffiti Unit power-washed away the graffiti. Los Angeles National Cemetery
Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) also wrote on Facebook: “This disgusting act reminds us of their evil intentions.”
City council candidate Sam Yebri, who is Jewish, accused the protesters of being antisemitic.
“Today, pro-Hamas extremists in LA sunk to a new low, vandalizing the venerable grounds of the Los Angeles National Cemetery, where 85K American heroes who sacrificed their lives for our freedom are [interred],” he wrote.
“They even used a Nazi concentration camp symbol of an upside [down] red triangle.
Anti-Israel protesters vandalized and defaced the Los Angeles National Cemetery, where nearly 90,000 veterans who served the country from World War I through Vietnam are buried.
Video posted online showed a demonstrator spray-painting “Free Gaza” with an upside-down red triangle on the entrance to the National Cemetery as a protest shut down a major boulevard outside the US Federal Building on Saturday.
Demonstrators wearing traditional Palestinian keffiyehs were seen waving Palestinian flags and holding signs accusing President Biden of being an enabler of genocide and Zionists of being Nazis.
They chanted, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” a slogan that the Anti-Defamation League has labeled antisemitic, saying it calls for the elimination of the state of Israel.
Protesters also shouted “Long live Palestine,” “Long live intifada” and “Biden, Biden you’re a liar, we demand a cease-fire.”
The word “intifada” was also spray-painted on the Los Angeles National Cemetery sign, as photos taken in the aftermath showed.
The original intifada was a Palestinian uprising against the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip beginning in 1987.
4 Pro-Palestinian protesters defaced the entrance to the Los Angeles National Cemetery on Saturday, spray-painting the words “Free Gaza” and “Intifada.” X / @SiaKordestani
It is unclear whether any arrests were made for the vandalism at the national cemetery. The Post has reached out to the Los Angeles Police Department for more information.
But many have come forward to condemn the protesters’ actions.
“VA national cemeteries are where our nation’s heroes are laid to rest, and any act of vandalism is unacceptable,” Terrence Hayes, a spokesman for the Department of Veterans Affairs, told Fox News.
“We are taking immediate steps to restore the wall at the Los Angeles National Cemetery to its original state.”
The cemetery also released a statement on its Facebook page, writing: “The Los Angeles National Cemetery is where our nation’s heroes are laid to rest, and any act of vandalism is unacceptable.
“We are taking immediate steps to restore the Los Angeles National Cemetery sign to its original state, and we are working with law enforcement on their investigation.”
4 The vandalism occurred as protesters shut down a major boulevard outside the US Federal Building. X / @samyebri
4 Nearly 90,000 veterans who served the United States from World War I through Vietnam are interred at the Los Angeles National Cemetery. AFP via Getty Images
It later thanked the Los Angeles County Graffiti Unit for power-washing away the graffiti in a separate post.
Several elected officials also spoke out against the vandalism, with US Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Calif.), who represents the area, branding the protesters anti-American.
“More proof that the people who hate #Israel also hate America,” he posted on X.
“Here, at the Los Angeles National Cemetery in my district, they deface a cemetery for those who gave their lives to end slavery and protect the world from fascism.”
4 Eventually, the Los Angeles County Graffiti Unit power-washed away the graffiti. Los Angeles National Cemetery
Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) also wrote on Facebook: “This disgusting act reminds us of their evil intentions.”
City council candidate Sam Yebri, who is Jewish, accused the protesters of being antisemitic.
“Today, pro-Hamas extremists in LA sunk to a new low, vandalizing the venerable grounds of the Los Angeles National Cemetery, where 85K American heroes who sacrificed their lives for our freedom are [interred],” he wrote.
“They even used a Nazi concentration camp symbol of an upside [down] red triangle.
